Robert Lepage's The Blue Dragon...a stream of conscience review
i'm excited"its the ride of your life" i say to a stander-by."oh, really" she snarls."don't move, i like kneezies" i smile to the folk already in their seats...laugher all round...far more receptive.and i am excited. robert lepage has been someone i have enjoyed reading about, watching video clips, interviews, and this is my first live show.and i know i will be enchanted, challenged, inspired, and exhilarated. for that is what all the reviews say:"the show's daringly ingenious conclusion is a masterstroke from a great theatre-maker at the peak of his powers" (The Telegraph, UK)..."heart-wrenching love story" says the Melbourne program...it begins...and i am transported. for a time.oh dear......why can't i see it? where is it? i wanted this to be brilliant!!!so here is what happened:i experienced little passion, in fact in reflection i am underwhelmed which so surprises me. the space between the actors seemed non-potent somehow, even though complex love abounded according to the script.the effects, what Lepage is so well known for, were absolutely compelling: the stars which turn into snow, spectacularly epic; the tiny train that shoots across the stage exquisite; the use of the vertical space; the multiple rooms emerging then disappearing--all extremely clever and brilliantly executed. so much so that the actors were pale in comparison. not uninteresting, that would be far too harsh, but something was, for me, missing in the connection between the actor and this audience member and from what i saw, there was little connectedness between the actors themselves.is it possible then, to have both: brilliant acting and brilliant effects, or does one have to eclipse the other? is technology a little like children and animals: don't work with it if you want to 'look good'?I'll still continue to admire Lepage's ability to transform two hours of my life into moment-by-moment revelations. But i hope next time more attention is paid to that magical, potent space that sits between the actors on stage. that unknown pull into connection. I know it is possible.